Revealed: How the 'Iron Man' of immune cells helps T cells fight infection
Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - 11:43
in Health & Medicine
The immune system's killer T cells are crucial in fighting viral infections. A fraction of them - memory cells - live on once infection is controlled in order to fight re-infection by the same virus. They are of great interest as the basis of T cell-based vaccination and immunotherapies. Now, scientists have revealed the mechanisms by which other immune cells called 'helper T cells' are able to provide the support needed to keep memory cells functioning optimally.